Loom heddle and method of making the same



Nov. 5, 1935.

J. J. KAUFMANN LOOM HEDDLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed July 24,1954 Patented Nov. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES LOOM HEDDLE AND METHOD OFMAKING THE SAME John Jacob Kaufmann, Elkins Park, Pa., assignor to SteelHeddle Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation ofPennsylvania Application July 24, 1934, Serial No. 736,650

12 Claims. (Cl. 139-94) My invention relatesto loom heddles and methodsof making the same, and relates more particularly to heddles used forweaving heavy fabrics such as duck, although it should of course 5 beunderstood that a heddle made in accordance with my present invention,and in the manner hereinafter set forth, may, if desired, be used forother types of weaving.

Heretofore, in the weaving of heavy fabrics 10 such as duck, the weightof the harness used for manipulating the warp thereof has been quiteobjectionable.

When such heddles are made of a continuous 1 strip of material, it isnecessary, in order to re- 15 duce the weight, to shear or cut out theside portions of the strip between the warp eye and the eyes providedfor mounting the heddle on the supporting rods. This is an expensive anddiflicult operation, and of course entails a consid- 20 erable waste ofthe material from which the heddles are formed. 3,

In other types, the heddles have been made of round wire throughout, butwhen so made difliculty has been experienced in attempts to obtain 25satisfactory forms of warp eyes.

Various attempts have also been made to construct heddles of compositeparts soldered or otherwise secured to each other, but the soldering ofthe various parts is a difficult and rela- 30 tively expensiveoperation, and the heddles made in this manner would frequently comeapart, when in use, at the places where they were soldered, as it is notpossible to determine the weakness of the joints upon a mere inspection.

5 The principal object of the present invention is to provide a heddleof the composite type which may be readily and expeditiously made andassembled, which will be so constructed and arranged that the parts willbe securely held together without dependence being placed upon solder orthe like for the securing means.

A further object of my invention is to provide a heddle of the characteraforesaid having the requisite strength, in which the warp eye may be 5properly shaped for ease of manipulation and for resistance to the wearoccasioned by the constant pasing of the warp therethrough.

A further object of my invention is to provide a heddle of the characteraforesaid, which may 50 be economically produced.

The nature and characteristic features of my invention will bemorereadily understood from the following description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, in'which:

Figure l is an elevational view of a preferred form of heddle embodyingthe main features of my present invention and made according, to themethod thereof, the face shown being that looking transversely to thelongitudinal extension of 5 the warp;

Fig: 2 is an edge elevation thereof;

Fig. '3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a modified form ofheddle;

Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are elevational views illustrating successive steps inthe uniting of the warp eye member to the portions of the heddle whichextend therefrom;

Fig. 7 is a face view, enlarged, of one of the warp eye members,detached;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view, in front elevation, of one end of thewire to be attached to the warp eye member;

I Fig. 10 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 11 is a transverse section, taken on the line |l--|l of Fig. 10,still further enlarged; and

Fig. 12 is a transverse section taken on the line l2-I2 of Fig. 2, alsogreatly enlarged.

It will, of course, be understood that the description and drawingherein contained are illustrative merely, and that various modificationsand changes may be made in the structure disclosed without departingfrom the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, in the particular embodiment of my inventiontherein shown, the warp eye member I5 is preferably punched and formedfrom a fiat strip or sheet of metal, this member being of approximatelyelliptical outline, 5 and having a central eye It for the passage of thewarp.

Each end of the warp eye members I5 is provided with a slot IT, in whichthe end of a wire I8, forming the adjacent portion of the heddle,

is positioned and held, as hereinafter more fully set forth. Each slotll is preferably of a peculiar dovetail shape, the side margins of saidslot being parallel for a portion of their length, adjacent the outerend, and the inner end of said slot being widened to form the dovetailhereinbefore referred to.

The side portions IQ of the warp eye member I5, adjacent the centralwarp eye it, are preferably bent out of the main plane of theeye memberI5, as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawing, although this is not essential,and if desired the warp eye member l5 may be left flat throughout.

The ends of the wires l8 which are to engage the warp eye member l5 areshaped as shown in Figs. 9, 10, and 11 of the drawing, so as to providea portion indented on both sides, as at 20, to a thickness correspondingto the width of the slot H where the margins thereof are parallel. Inthe ends of the wires l8, on each side of the indentations 26, there areprovided ridges 2 l, which extend out over the faces of the warp eyemember l5 when the indented portion 28 of the end of the wire isinserted in the slot ll of said warp eye member.

In making the heddle, after the parts are shaped as aforesaid (see Figs.4, 7, 9, and the ends of the wires I8 are brought to engagement with thedovetail slots [1 (see Fig. 5), and the alinement of these two partswill bemaintained by the engagement of the parallel side portions of theslot I! with the indentations 20 of the wires l8.

While the parts are so positioned, pressure is exerted on the endportions of the wires I8 by means of a suitable: press, which will causethe metal at the ends of said wires to 'fill out the dovetailed innerends of the slots ii, and at the same time cause the overlapping sideportions 2| of the wires to be spread still further over the respectiveside faces of the warp eye member 15, adjacent the slots [1, and inintimate contact with said faces. After this operation has beenperformed, the warp eye member IE will be securely attached to the endsof the wires I8 (see Fig. 6)

In the form of heddle shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the eyes atthe ends of the heddle, for mounting the same on the supporting rods,may be formed by providing members 22 which are punched and formed fromfiat metal, each having a central slot 23 constituting the eye throughwhich a heddle supporting rod extends when the heddles are mounted inthe loom.

Each of the eye members 22 in this form is provided at its inner endwith a slot which is similar in conformation to the slots II,hereinbefore described, which are provided at the ends of the warp eyemember IS. The end of the Wire I8 is positioned and secured in the slotat the end of the member 22in the same manner as it is positioned andsecured' in the slot I! in the central warp eye member l5 and hence neednot be further described in detail.

In the form of heddle shown in Fig.3 of the drawing, the eyes formounting 'the heddles on the supporting rods are formed by integrallycontinuing the wire I8 and bending the same to form a fiat loop 22 asshown.

The wire I 8, from which the portions of the heddle extending from thewarp eye member are formed, is preferably round in cross-section, but itwill be noted that, by reason of the method of construction employed, itis not necessary to impart any twist to this wire in order to secure theusual angular relationship of the warp eye member IS with respect to theportions of the heddle through which the heddle supporting rods extend.Thus any desired angular position of the warp eye member l5 with respectto the eye portions at the ends of the heddle may be readily andaccurately obtained, resulting in uniformity of the product.Consequently,'the warp eye members I5 in a series of heddles in a framewill nest properly with respect to each other.

After the heddles are constructed as aforesaid, the same are preferablydipped in a solder bath, so that the surfaces of the heddle parts willbe given a protective coating (not shown). The

solder thus applied will permeate any interstices which may be left inthe formation of the heddles, and will also serve to provide smoothsurfaces where the several parts are joined to each other. 5

A heddle constructed as aforesaid will be relatively light, yet ofsufiicient strength for its desired purpose, and will be characterizedby freedom in the action of the warp when the harness is manipulated toform successive sheds. The 10 Warp eye member [5 may be so shaped as toguide the warp ends controlled by adjacent frames past the warp eyeswithout any objectionable interference.

I claim: 15

1. A loom heddle having an eye portion, said eye portion comprising amember having an eye and also having a dovetail slot at one end, and aportion adjacent the eye member comprising a single strand of wire, anend portion of the wire extending into and filling said slot.

2. A loom heddle having an eye portion, said eye portion comprising amember having an eye and also having a dovetail slot at one end, and aportion adjacent the eye member comprising a single strand of wire, anend portion of the wire extending into and filling said slot, and a partof said end portion extending over the side faces of the eye memberadjacent the slot.

3. A loom heddle having a central warp eye portion and eye portions atthe ends thereof for mounting the heddle upon the supporting rods, thewarp eye portion comprising a member having a central warp eye and adovetail slot at each end, each of the end eye portions comprising a asmember having an eye and a dovetail slot at one end, and portionsextending from the warp eye member to the end eye portions eachcomprising a single strand of wire, each end portion of each Wireextending into and filling one of said slots. 4,0

4. A loom heddle having a central warp eye portion and eye portions atthe ends thereof for mounting the heddle upon the supporting rods, theWarp eye portion comprising a member having a central warp eye and adovetail slot at each' end, each of the end eye portions comprising amember having an eye and a dovetail slot at one end, and portionsextending from the warp eye member to the end eye portions eachcomprising a single strand of wire, each end portion of each wireextending into and filling one of said slots, and a part of said endportion extending over the side faces of the eye member adjacent theslot.

5. A loom heddle having a central warp eye portion comprising a memberhaving a central warp eye and dovetail slots at the ends, and each ofthe portions of the heddle adjacent the warp eye member comprising asingle strand of wire, an end portion of each Wire extending into andfilling one of said slots.

6. A loom heddle having a central warp eye portion comprising a memberhaving a central warp eye and dovetail slots at the ends, and each ofthe portions of the heddle adjacent the warp eye member comprising asingle strand of wire, an end portion of each wire extending into andfilling one of said slots, and a part of said end portion extending overthe side faces of the eye member adjacent the slot.

7. A loom heddle having a central warp eye portion comprising a memberhaving a central warp eye and dovetail slots at the ends. and, each ofthe portions of the heddle adjacent the warp eye member comprising asingle strand of Wire, an end portion of each wire extending into. and

filling one of said slots, and a part of said end portion extending overand in intimate contact with the side faces of the eye member adjacentthe slot.

8. A loom heddle having eye portions at the ends thereof for mountingthe heddle upon the supporting rods, each of said end eye portionscomprising a member having an eye and a dovetail slot at one end, andeach of the portions of the heddle adjacent the end eye portioncomprising a single strand of wire, an end portion of each wireextending into and filling said slot.

9. In the manufacture of loom heddles, the method which consists informing an eye member with a dovetail slot, then inserting an endportion of a wire in the slot of the eye member, and thereafterdeforming the inserted end of the wire to cause the metal thereof tofill the slot.

10. In the manufacture of loom heddles, the method which consists informing an eye member with a dovetail slot, shaping the end of a wire toprovide a reduced portion thereof of a thickness corresponding to thewidth of the narrow portion of the slot in the eye member, theninserting the shaped end portion of the wire in the slot of the eyemember, and thereafter deforming the inserted end of the wire to causethe metal thereof to fill the slot and to cause portions of the wire tobe spread over and forced into intimate contact with the side faces ofthe eye member adjacent the slot.

11. In the manufacture of loom heddles, the method which consists informing a warp eye member with a central warp eye and a dovetail slot ateach end, then inserting end portions of wires in the slots of the eyemember, and thereafter deforming the inserted end of each wire to causethe metal thereof to fill the slot in which it is inserted.

12. In the manufacture of loom heddles, the method which consists informing a warp eye member with a central warp eye and a dovetail slot ateach end, shaping the ends of wires to provide at an end of each wire aportion thereof of a thickness corresponding to the width of the narrowportions of the slots in the eye member, then inserting the shaped endportions of the wires in the slots of the eye member, and there- .afterdeforming the inserted end of each wire to

